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Click here for the online version. This e-mail was created for [email protected] Subscribe • Advertise Thursday, October 1, 2020 Volume 8 | Issue 191 In Party Line Vote, FCC to Enable States to Lease 4.9 GHZ to Utilities, Others By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief In a meeting rife with disagreements and connectivity snafus, the FCC Wednesday adopted rules permitting expanded use of 50 megahertz of mid-band spectrum in the 4.9 GHz (4940-4990 MHz) band. The agency majority says the band used by public safety agencies is underused. However scores of fire, police and medical representatives told the Commission the change threatens the public, especially during a pandemic. Under the new rules, states could lease the spectrum to third parties such as utilities, FirstNet and commercial operators to boost wireless broadband, improve critical infrastructure monitoring, and facilitate public safety use cases. The band has been dedicated for public safety use for 18 years; however, only about 3.5 percent of all potential licensees use it this way because of restrictions, according to Chairman Ajit Pai. He called the current rules governing the 4.9 GHz band flawed: “The Commission’s rules put the spectrum in a silo which led to a limited amount of niche specific equipment available for use in the band. The story of the 4.9 GHz band became one of spectrum haves, primarily in large cities such as New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle and have- nots, namely the 96.5 percent of potential licensees that have not obtained licenses for the 4.9 GHz spectrum, particularly the smaller and rural jurisdictions that cannot afford to deploy in that band.” Continue Reading Mississippi Utilities Want Feds to Look at AT&T Claims Utility regulators in Mississippi raised concerns about AT&T meeting the Connect America broadband goals and say the carrier may even be misrepresenting its claims of success. A letter addressed to the FCC asked for “a complete compliance audit of AT&T Mississippi regarding their claims of providing service to over 133,000 locations in Mississippi as part of their obligation under the Connect American Fund II.” The letter was drafted by a three-person committee charged with regulating utility services, reports the Daily Journal. Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley told the Daily Journal: “It is an undisputed fact that there are inconsistencies and invalid information that has been provided to the various federal agencies by AT&T. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, these types of incidents have occurred, and we know that.” The incidents he refers to involve claims that service exists in areas that do not have broadband coverage. Continue Reading LBA Group: Three Divisions and Nearly Six Decades of RF Solutions and Education LBA Group focuses on providing solutions for the telecommunications industry. It is comprised of Lawrence Behr Associates, LBA Technology, and LBA University. Over the last 57 years, the group of companies has evolved and adopted new technologies and utilized its experience to move from radio to television to telecommunications. LBA Group started as Lawrence Behr Associates in 1963, providing broadcast station RF consulting and maintenance services to regional clientele. “At the time, cutting-edge technology was AM broadcasting. We became one of the top AM broadcasting consulting firms in the country, and then we transitioned to FM radio when that became available,” said Behr. “We then transitioned to television, which birthed the LBA Technology division to enable us to provide various hardware solutions.” After working in television for many years, Motorola invited LBA to get involved in the “brand new” cellular industry. “Of course, we accepted,” said Behr, which led to LBA Group planning dozens of early cellular systems in conjunction with Motorola. Nearly a decade ago, LBA University was formed to provide education and training. According to Behr, many users complete existing online courses, and leverage tailored training packages to satisfy safety manager requirements. “We have clients that provide us with their training requirements for employees or recruitment efforts. We’ll customize training for individuals with various levels of experience. LBA manages the entire process for the client up to the standards needed for an employee to complete his or her job.” Continue Reading FCC Moves to Free Up 100 MHz of 3.45-3.55 GHZ for 5G By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief The FCC Wednesday proposed to make 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available for 5G deployment. The agency adopted rules to remove the secondary, non-federal allocations from the 3.3-3.55 GHz band. The move follows last month’s announcement by the White House and Department of Defense that 100 megahertz of contiguous mid-band spectrum would be made available in the 3450-3550 MHz band for 5G commercial use while simultaneously minimizing impact to DoD operations. During the vote, Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said since beginning the FCC job nearly seven years ago, repurposing 3.1 to 3.55 GHz from federal government to private sector use has been one of his priorities. “While clearing the band of and relocating some current non-federal users, such as radiolocation and amateur services, is important and worthwhile, the more consequential effort is to implement the agreement reached between the White House and the Department of Defense (DOD) on this key spectrum band.” Continue Reading Industry Hails FCC Moves to Carve Out More 5G Spectrum The telecom Industry praised the FCC’s moves Wednesday to make more spectrum available for future wireless use. NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, hailed the vote to free up 100 MHz of the 3.45- 3.55 GHz band, calling mid-band spectrum ideal because it can deliver high capacity and reliability over significant distances. “We are excited by the opportunity to use more spectrum,” said NATE President/CEO Todd Schlekeway. “More spectrum translates into more deployment opportunities for the telecommunications tower industry, while substantially advancing the nation’s critical communications capabilities by promoting the deployment of 5G.” The Wireless Infrastructure Association also applauded the action. “The consistent leadership in promoting 5G deployment provides incentives to invest in wireless infrastructure to meet consumer needs for more and more data,” said WIA VP Government and Public Affairs Matt Mandel. “Access to spectrum is critical for speeding America toward winning the race to 5G and all the jobs and economic growth that come to the winner.” Continue Reading September 30, 2020 at Close West Virginia Senator Lauds Small Town’s “Forever” Needed Tower This week, Senator Joe Manchin and Joe Ford, Mayor of Iaeger, WV (population: 302) commented on a nearly completed AT&T tower, which will bring better communications to McDowell County. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Iaeger has lacked service “ever since cell phones became available” due to the rugged, mountainous terrain which interferes with signals. “After years of working alongside local officials in Iaeger and McDowell County, I look forward to the completion of the new AT&T cellular tower in Iaeger that will provide unprecedented service across our coal counties,” said Manchin. “This is a huge step forward in providing West Virginians with service and connecting us with the rest of the world.” According to Mayor Ford, “The progress made on the cell tower in Iaeger is encouraging for our community because finally having cell service will be a game-changer for our scenic river town. As Mayor of Iaeger, I’ve worked with Senator Manchin for years on this project, and I thank him for his tireless efforts to make this a reality.” From an emergency communications perspective, one 911 volunteer calls the new tower a “Godsend.” John Sidote said: “We’ve needed that cell phone tower there forever.” Arizona Fairway Park Residents Deny “Mulligan”* to Verizon Monopine In the middle of a forested neighborhood in Show Low, Sunquest Financial LLC and Verizon Wireless are planning to erect a 110-foot monopine, and residents object. There is a documented need for better service, high-speed internet, and overall data capacity, reported the White Mountain Independent. The Show Low Planning and Zoning Commission members acknowledged the need for a tower during a September 22 meeting. Planning and zoning commissioner Rob Hephner said he understands that “there is a lot of fear and uncertainty around change,” but that “broadband is needed.” According to the Independent, the proposed site in Fairway Park covers two addresses and is adjacent to a commercially zoned property. The tower will offer 4G service with co-location capabilities. Continue Reading Telecoms Industry Shows Measured Optimism About 5G Since the first commercial 5G services were switched on in the first half of last year, many more 5G networks have gone live throughout the world. According to the tracking by research house Omdia, by the end of Q2 this year over 70 mobile operators across more than 40 countries have launched 5G, bringing fast mobile or fixed wireless broadband connectivity to millions of consumers. Omdia forecasts that 5G is on track to reach mass market adoption faster than any previous mobile generation with close to 2 billion subscribers by the end of 2024. Meanwhile, the mobile industry has also started embracing the advanced phase of 5G, in particular the standalone mode, which will help operators realize 5G’s potential of billions of additional value through serving industrial and other business use cases, according to Telecoms.com Intelligence. Such a background makes it a good time to take stock of 5G’s performance in its first year and start looking ahead towards what should be expected, and what should be avoided, in the years to come.

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